A Modern House In Denver, Colorado Makes Floral Prints A Contemporary Accent

When granny florals emerged as a designer favorite last year, both runways and interiors were sprouting with the blowsy blossoms of decades past. For those who love florals, but don't want to evoke a vintage aesthetic, however, the trend may have been difficult to embrace.

Luckily, one designer has cracked the code for incorporating floral prints into a modern setting.

When designer Layne Kula styled a wedding for two clients, she didn't know it would lead to her eventually designing their entire first house, a modern bungalow tucked in Denver, Colorado. The nature-loving couple — she's a concert pianist, he's a financial adviser — wanted to incorporate a perpetual thread of the outdoors throughout the home, and floral prints were bound to be a natural element of that task.

"Florals are really having a moment right now, and people are finding innovative ways to incorporate them with pops of color," says Kula. "This couple has always been very passionate about nature and florals. Something about it feels really calming to them, and they knew they wanted to bring it into their day-to-day environment."

It couldn't be achieved by turning the bungalow into a greenhouse, though. The interiors had to make use of houseplants in doses, loose interpretations of florals and negative space (more on that below).

Accent Floral Prints With Greenery

Chandler Kim

Creating a modern setting with a particular theme demands restraint and careful execution — a contemporary space covered in chinoiserie wallpaper will barely have the dramatic effect this space does.

To set the tone for the blooming house, which focused on big floral prints in certain rooms, Kula placed a variety of plants ranging from flowers to succulents throughout the space.

"There's at least one plant in every room," says Kula. "We wanted the couple to be able to stay home and still incorporate elements they may seek out in hiking or camping in nature. So we used florals and plants, both real and fake, and stones, rocks and crystals — things you could easily pull from outside and bring inside."

Go Big And Bold With Florals

Perhaps the most important trick for achieving a modern aesthetic with flowers? Pick blooms that are big. In the wife's practice room, a buoyant floral print serves as an enveloping focal point for the creative space.

"Smaller florals tend to look a little old school," says Kula. "So make a huge choice, own it and let it make a statement. For this wallpaper, we wanted to make the florals as big as humanly possible to serve as a working piece of art rather than just a wallpaper."

This bold approach typically only works as an accent, however, and should be complemented by "negative space" — empty space that surrounds a striking piece or decorative accent.

"For the rest of the room, we kept the colors really bright and airy to turn the focus on the floral print without taking away from its importance," says Kula. "Focus on things that do the work for you, so your only job is to let them breathe. Be strategic about how you push and pull focus."

Chandler Kim

The rest of the walls in the practice room are white, and the only other floral print is on a Crosley record player.

Keep Your Interpretation Of Florals Loose

While a flowering accent wall in every room may quickly become overwhelming in a modern house, incorporating prints that are similar to (but not exactly like!) floral prints can introduce a new element while continuing the nature-inspired theme.

In the craft room, Kula chose a gold and white palm tree wallpaper that echoed the nature aspect of the floral print wallpaper in the practice room, but weaved in a new color scheme and design.

"A loose interpretation of florals works best in a modern space," says Kula. "It can feel like a natural element whether it's a literal flower or not. We really loved the airiness and the color palette of the palm wallpaper, and the white and gold really opened up the space in an interesting way."

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